I went to Atlanta for work and managed to plan my trip for the week of the most epic snow storm that ever hit Atlanta.  I don’t think I truly understood how bad ice can be in a place that doesn’t usually get it, however, I got out of the train station and was literally trapped.  I couldn’t get down the stairs because it was a ramp of ice.  I wound up climbing through a snow bank.  The entire city shut down amidst warnings on the news to not leave home.  Many of my meetings were cancelled at the last minute, which was a bummer.

It did give me a chance to get to know our Atlanta Sales Rep a bit better, however, and she was kind enough to take me to Richard Blais’ Flip Burger.  (And my Top Chef Sluttiness continues!)

Richard Blais is known on Top Chef for creating edible feats of science.  He uses the techniques of Molecular Gastronomy and is known for being the master of the liquid hydrogen tank on Top Chef.  I think a lot of his artistry gets lost on the show, however, opening up a refined concept centered around burgers and milkshakes worked very well for him.

The menu changes, so this was the offering we had:

Notice the liquid nitrogen milkshakes?  How could I NOT try one of those.

As for the space, I LOVED it.  It’s long cafeteria style tables with a nifty mural painted on the back and TVs that were framed by old fashioned wooden frames.  Too cool.

Then the shakes came… Kristen got the Rice Krispy shake, which tasted like liquid rice krispy treats and even had a few on top.

I went with the nutella and burnt marshmallow shake.  This was sensational.

The marshmallows tasted just like the best part of camping.

We split some parmesan zucchini fries.  These were good, but missing some zucchini oomph.

We also split the pork belly macaroni and cheese.  The pork belly was very good, and I LOVES me some pork belly, however, I think I would have preferred a crispier pork product on this one.  I also thought the little round macaroni was a weird choice.  It just didn’t come together for me.

Kristen ordered the Korean BBQ burger, which sounded great except it had kimchi on it.  She really enjoyed it.

My burger was other-wordly.  Usually I would say that most burgers are burgers… and how good could a burger be?  Turns out I like my burgers amped up with special toppings.  It was the Black Diamond Burger with black diamond prime brisket rib eye and short rib x2, roasted mushrooms, onion, brie, and horseradish mayo.  (I went with the smoked mayo instead).  WOW!  A $17 burger CAN be worth it.

Overall, I was really impressed with this place.  I recommend you stick to the burgers and shakes and skip the sides, however, I’m glad I tried it all.  It was one of the best burgers I have ever had.

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

Tags: atlanta, black diamond burger, flip burger boutique, korean bbq burger, liquid N2 milkshakes, nutella + burnt marshmallow, parmesan fries, pork belly mac & cheese, restaurant reviews, restaurants, richard blais, shakes, top chef